DEVIANCE AND CRIME PT.2 Flashcards
what do people get when they break rules
sanctions
2 types of sanctions
- formal - Are enacted by official agents of the state (law enforcement; Child Protective Services, etc.)
- informal- Come from nonofficial sources such as family; friends; strangers
**Who is imposing the sanction determines whether it’s informal or formal
3 perspectives when defining deviance
realist perspective
absolute perspective
conflict critical perspective
what is the realist perspective
- understanding deviance within larger social collective
- Behaviors, conditions, and beliefs are deviant only to the extent that cultures regard them as deviant
- defines deviance as a result of social construction
- What is considered deviant is subjective (or relative)
what is the absolute perspective
- suggests some behaviors, conditions, and beliefs are inherently and objectively deviant
what is the conflict critical perspective
- regards deviance as socially constructed
and emphasizes social power in determining who and what is considered deviant - This perspective suggests that those in power will construct deviance in ways to preserve and increase the social, economic, and political dominance of the powerful
what is ethnocentrism
The belief that one’s culture is superior to another culture
important to remember when researching deviance
As social scientists we may have strong feelings (INDIVIDUAL MORALITY), however, we put those aside to study the perspective and experiences of those who are considered deviant
what did Early theories of crime and deviance focus on
biological causes e.g. genes
What context did Durkheim theorise that suicide is best examined in
- in the context of social solidarity in a particular society
- Durkheim examined a phenomenon that most people think of as an intensely individual act (suicide) and suggested it had social rather than psychological (individual) causes
- Characteristics of societies matters
what did Durkheim theorize that modern industrial society was characterized by
egoism + anomie
what is egoism and durkheims theory about it characterising industrial society
weekend social ties within the social group
- Durkheim theorized that in modern societies there was a lack of integration of the individual in the social group
- Individuals become isolated in their economic tasks and have no feelings of likeness with others
what is anomie and durkheims theory about it characterising industrial society
weakened moral regulation - A state in which society’s norms fail to regulate behavior
- Durkheim theorizes that modern industrial societies can be characterized by a lack of moral regulation
durkheims views on the normality of crime
- Durkheim theorizes that crime and deviance were normative and necessary aspects of societies
- The purpose of punishment or sanctions was not to reduce crime, but rather to assert shared values
- Norms and values shift, and deviance becomes reconceptualized
what are moral panics
exaggerated, widespread fear regarding the collapse of public morality
what is the medicalisation of deviance
The transition from viewing behaviors, conditions, and beliefs as attributed to the deviant’s character due to a condition that can be treated (For ex: Alcohol Abuse)
what is labelling
How certain individuals or groups come to be regarded as deviant - who is defined or labeled as deviant is the result of a social process in which others react as though the person is deviant
what is primary deviance
Rule breaking in the absence of a deviant label
what is secondary deviance
Further rule-breaking behavior as a result of a deviant
label e.g. people label you as a car speeder so you engage in the behaviour more often
what is stigma
A mark of disgrace and interactions that communicates that one is disgraced, dishonorable or otherwise deviant
what is role engulfment
deviant role takes over people’s other social roles - others relate to them in response to their spoiled identity
what is master status
The primary status by which others interact with
what is the labelling perspective when creating deviance
Certain individuals (or groups) get regarded as deviant through labeling
- Has roots in symbolic interactionism
- Emphasizes the power of definitions
- Who is defined as deviant is the result of a social process in which others react as though the person is deviant
- Reaction of others rather than the behavior itself that produces the label of deviant
- No actual rule-violating behavior is necessary for the deviant label to be applied
what is the Thomas theorem in regard to the labelling perspective when creating deviance
“If individuals define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”
- Labels have the power to transform people - If an individual is treated as deviant do, they then engage in deviant behavior?
